Lune Noire

[Leopard403]

The encroaching darkness: black orchid, jonquil, white pear, white amber, gardenia, olibanum, champaca, sweet clove, tonka, oakmoss, and blue musk.

If Opuhi were still available, I would think I'd received a mislabeled bottle. Because this smells identical to Opuhi to me; in the bottle, wet on skin, and on the dry-down. Good thing I love Opuhi, since I no longer have to ration it quite so frugally.

Lune Noire is a lovely blend, but altogether too familiar for me to swoon anew.

[taramarie]

In the bottle, Lune Noire is orchid and jonquil, really strong but gorgeous. Wet on my skin, it's orchid, jonquil, pear, and gardenia. This is heavenly. Definitely a pale yellow scent. Dry, the flowers start to fade, but the pear is still present. I think this one needs to age a bit, but it's already beautiful now.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Light yellow oil. Bright, slightly soapy-clean, fresh floral. Complex. Gardenia, orchid, and champaca jump out. Slightly sweet and resiny.

 

Wet: Very similar, but the pear note is now apparent and sweetens the blend. Jonquil emerges clearly, a fresh green note, and tonka makes this a bit foody and rich. Soapier - maybe the white amber?

 

Dry: Very slow to dry, but as soon as it does, the pear's nearly vanished. It's less soapy, but still very floral. The floral trifecta previously mentioned still reigns, with jonquil secondary.

 

Later: Soapier again, and less sweet with faded tonka. Some of that dusty blue musk deepens things, and a faint hint of oakmoss and clove add earthy and woody notes. Softer florals.

 

Summary: Rich, heady florals - gardenia, orchid, champaca - backed up soapy-powdery white amber, heavy musk, woody-sweet clove, and faintly creamy tonka. Womanly, sophisticated. Darker and more blatantly floral than the earlier incarnation. Good throw and lasting power.

 

Not bad but not me.

[livingdead71]

Wow! This is such a beautiful, sophisticated scent. I mostly smell pears and gardenia in the bottle, then it's all about the pears on the skin. It's a very dark scent, without being heavy. Gorgeous!

[Dark Sparkle]

Lune Noir is really up my alley with a hazy, purple floral quality and the sweet fresh pear -it is so pretty and elegant! I wish I had bought more.

[oakmoss]

I'm currently reading The Edwardians, by Vita Sackville-West, and one of the characters is Lady Sylvia Roehampton, the most beautiful woman in London -- fortysomething, rich, ripe, gracious (on the outside, anyway), sensual, completely feminine, with all a woman's awareness of her many charms and how to use them.

 

This is her perfume.

 

So feminine, so elusive, so mysteriously indefinable.... sweetly floral, but with an edge of seduction. This scent is an oyster-silk ballgown worn with creamy pearls that disappear between the valley of Sylvia's perfumed breasts, as she languidly flirts her fan and looks around the room for her next conquest.

[Alchemy21599]

In the bottle: a strange cherry candy scent that I was not expecting.

 

wet on skin: a gorgeous orchid bouquet. Orchid is the dominant note, but there is another floral as well. This is not a pure floral, as there are other notes grounding it.

 

dry: IMHO, this is an orchid scent, which is heavenly. The other notes add richness which makes this scent so much more than an ordinary floral. Really gorgeous and sophisticated.

[autumnbriars]

This is just lovely!

 

In the imp, it smelled fruity and floral, which are not a few of my favorite things, but it was delicate enough that I tried it anyway. It stays that way for a bit, but and then takes on a dry smell that reminds me a lot of Hamadryad. I have a hard time pucking out specific notes, but I have to imagine its the champaca, clove, tonka and moss that come out to play.

 

Whatever it is, I absolutely love it, and am kicking myself for not buying a bottle.

[jade_starlight]

In the bottle: primarily oakmoss and a dark floral that I think is the orchid.

 

Wet: it becomes a lot more darkly floral on my skin than it was in the bottle, but my beloved oakmoss is still there to keep the florals toned down just enough and provide a sort of wild edge that I absolutely adore.

 

Dry: it lightens a bit, but never loses the dark and wild edge that I love and never gets overwhelmingly floral, which I had been afraid that it might.

 

In short, I love it and am very glad that I convinced myself to get a bottle. *g*

[zankoku_zen]

Oh man, on wet, this is a juicy pear floral. Love it to bits. As it dries, the pear fades away and I get more of the orchid/spice thing going on, which makes it oddly enough smell kinda plummy. It's a regal velvety purple, and it reminds me to Morgause from the GC, minus the incense. It's rich, deeply regal, very purple, very luxe.

 

I wish pear had stuck around for longer. I am still on a pear quest.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Bottle bought through eviltemptressdq's circle

 

Initial Thoughts: This has lots of florals that I like. It has blue musk, which sometimes behaves on me. I wonder if white amber will also behave on me.

 

In the Bottle: A cool, sweet floral, very well blended. I think I can pick out the sweet clove and there's a definite fruity impression.

 

Wet: Wow...that's so very different. I get a blast of greenish woodsy notes, like the champaca, tonka and oakmoss have all charged in, guns blazing. For the moment, the floral and fruity notes are completely gone.

 

Drydown: The scent is mellowing a bit, letting just a little pear and floral in. It's now rather dusky and seductive, compared to the scent in the bottle.

 

Verdict: I'll try it a couple more times before I decide whether to keep it or pass it on.

[MaidMirawyn]

I bought this one because I loved the previous Black Moon Beth made; I figured it was worth a shot!

 

When I open the bottle, it's a strong floral, backed by a hint of subtle light fruits. It smells almost but not quite like jasmine to me; maybe it's the jonquil. It's lovely, but if I hadn't tried Black Moon I would have been apprehensive; the floral is strong the same way the Black Moon is pure jasmine upon application!

 

Wet, the floral backs down more quickly than in Black Moon. The other notes make an appearance almost immediately. There's some other light florals, as well as a bit of subtle richness. The depth and richness must be the the clove, amber, oakmoss, tonka, frankincense, and blue musk, but the scents are blended; I can't pick out the individual notes.

 

Dry, it's wonderful: ethereal and dark, but light at the same time. It's floral, but a touch sweet, a touch musky incense. It feels like a dark night, but not a menancing, dangerous, dark night. It's more of a wonderful night to sit outside gazing at the sky.

[Coldfire]

Bottle: dark and the gardenia…but not cloying gardenia.

Wet On Me: still dark, still some gardenia, the white amber coming in now

Drying Down: Lovely. More amber and the musk now than the gardenia. Why does this feel like a deep south garden on a hot summer night in the darkest of night?

Dry: This dried down into something just so lovely….I’m so glad I got a bottle. Must keep.

[Akurarei]

Lune Noir

 

In the Bottle:

very similar to Black Moon IMO....I smell citrus and orchid florals

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Very clean and bright - bubbly - not at all dark and ominous!

I smell delicate lemon florals and clean aloe like qualitities....strange.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Still very clean.

The lemon scent I am getting is still there but the aloe scent I was getting is replaced with a "water pear" - it's the strangest pear incarnation I've ever some across!

I really like it though! very unique lemon/pear scent!

 

Verdict:

strange morphology going on but the delicate water lemon pear outcome is very unique and quite compelling!

not much throw, which is the only sad note.

6 of 10 Ranking!

Edited October 14, 2008 by Akurarei

[theseagrows]

in the imp i get a nice scent of gardenia and champaca, however on my skin, the blue musk is amped and aquatic-y. that was the one thing i was afraid of in this scent, as i am not really a fan of aquatic/ozone scents. this is very pretty, dark and watery. the blue musk does turn wonky, but once the scent fades i'm left with a soft pear-champaca scent which is quite nice. i may need to re-try this one.

[PurringPulsar]

Lune Noire

 

In the bottle: very similar to Black Moon, but sweeter.

Wet on skin: this sharpens a tad, but now I also smell some frankincense, gardenia and champaca.

Dry on skin: mmm, frankincense! I can really, really smell the olibanum now and I love it. It’s the same gorgeous smoky peppery resin from Meshkenet, and it gives this scent a hint of something Egyptian which fits the label perfectly! Underneath this wonderful resinous note I can smell the floral notes, orchid and gardenia and champaca. I also smell a hint of pear and amber, and the beautiful blue musk unites all the notes. But above all, this is a scent of incense wafting over heady nocturnal blooms.

After a while: oh, I love this olibanum note so much! It smells exactly like burning incense does, like the kind of scent that lingers in churches…I love that scent. In here the incense is coupled with those rich sweet floral notes, orchid being the most dominant one. The white amber adds a luminous sweetness, the blue musk is faint but I smell it’s ethereal ‘night air’ scent wafting through here. The combination of resinous incense and floral notes is gorgeous. The incense lingers, develops that lovely ‘smoke hanging in a sacred space’ scent, and the floral notes sweeten, with the amber note showing up a little more. I don’t get clove or moss here, but that doesn’t matter because this is wonderful.

Verdict: a spectacular scent. it’s floral incense with ethereal touches of musk and amber and fruit. I can smell rich heady moonlit night flowers, with that wonderful airy blue musk-but the best thing about this scent is that fabulous olibanum, the scent of burning frankincense wafting over it all, almost like sacred lunar incense. I love Black Moon, and this is similar, but I think this one is nicer, because of that magic touch of incense. it also resembles the Egyptian scents that I love so much. The champaca doesn’t take over, nor does the gardenia-I think the incense and musk keep these notes in check. This is a wonderful scent, one of my new favourites of the ‘night blooming/night air’ scents!

Emoticon rating: Yes, I have three bottles.

Is it a keeper?

If you like this, try: Black Moon, Meshkenet, Nuit, Urania, Midnight on the Midway

[waternight]

In the bottle: A dark, rich floral, with undertones of a thick sweetness. Orchid is on top, with a teeming undercurrent of blue musk. On a deep sniff, I smell champaca and sweet clove underneath everything.

Wet: Lighter than in the bottle. Soft gardenia with just a hint of orchid and amber. After a moment, I get a swelling of oakmoss, which is quickly tempered by champaca, clove, and musk. The clove in this isn't a spicy clove though, it really is more of a sweet scent, more of a sweetness with the suggestion of clove. The pear is well-hidden, offering a spritz of juiciness rather than being a full note in its own right. As it dries, though, the pear becomes gently stronger, blending well with the other notes. The blue musk does this too.

Dry: Dry, this is a very "classic" sort of perfume. It's floral, it's musky, it's got a bit of fruit. Despite that, it's absolutely lovely. It's dark and heady and sophisticated. It's wonderfully feminine, in a very womanly sort of way. Truly beautiful.

[kjirstiben]

In the bottle, Lune Noire is all flowers, and I'm a little worried because a lot of flowers turn into something screaming and unlovely on me.

 

However, when applied (sparingly) to my wrists, while the scent is floral, I can also smell some fruit (the pear) in there as well.

 

I keep catching whiffs of gardenia as this dries down--but not immediately on my wrists. It's as I move my hands that I smell gardenia. My mother always wore gardenia perfume...

 

Over time, this turns into a soft gardenia for me. I'm sure there are other notes in it but on me, it's almost a single-note.

 

I quite like this--one of the first very floral fragrances that I've truly enjoyed!

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

In the vial, this is a cool and dark scent of orchids, pears and a mixof soft florals.

 

First on:

Dark orchid and a hint of green... There is a soapy quality to it,probably my skin disapproving of the blue musk.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it'sa faint greenish floral, not very defined.

 

20 mins later, it's amuch more pleasant scent, with warm tonka and a touch of clove addingto the coolness of the orchids.

 

Finally:

Sadly, this wasn't whatI'd hoped for... Swapping this beauty.

[policyoftruth]

A lot of the notes are new to me, but what I smell is a sweet, slightly fruity scent with a woodsy undertone so it's not too sweet. I'm not sure what champaca smells like, but after looking it up I think that's what I smell the most.

 

Lune Noir is one of my favorites, and love it so much I have a backup bottle so I can slather away

[nekogrrl]

Ergh, when will I learn heavy florals do not work on me?

 

The orchid, jonquil, and gardenia are just so heavy and thick, that's all I smell. It does not smell nice on my skin. I had hoped the amber, oakmoss and musk would tone down the florals, but these are just overwhelming.

 

This will be going on the sale/swap pile.

[arachne]

I can detect the pear in the bottle, but once it hits my skin it's all olibanum, with the orchid, jonquil, gardenia and champaca blended softly in the background. This is absolutely amazing. It loves my skin! It's sweet and soapy. I get so many compliments and I find the scent very long lasting in a lingering musky sort of way. Although sweet, the oakmoss keeps it from getting too fruity and the clove kicks it up just a notch. This scent is like liquid Goddess.

 

I wish I bought 2 bottles!

[msbcozad]

Lune Noire

 

I usually test new-to-me oils when I work from home but today, I splashed the untested Lune Noire on before heading out the door. The first ten minutes or so were unpleasant. You know that feeling when you accidentally get hairspray in your mouth? It was exactly like that. But then it mellowed into a very soft pear and gardenia mix.

 

It's been two and half hours and my left elbow smells like pear while my right elbow smells like gardenia. I can't smell anything on my wrists at all. I'm slatherer and the scent is nearly gone. This is a pretty scent for spring, but sadly a VERY quick fade.

[hellomoonglow]

Dear Lune Noire,

 

What's wrong with you? You smell so luscious in the bottle, then you turn to pencil shavings and flowers on me. And not the good kinds of flowers. You smell like grocery store flowers. You need to move it on out. Please leave your key on the dresser, get your dirty underwear and take a hike.

 

Signed,

 

Left Arm

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Lune Noire. So...wow, not what I was expecting at all. This is a really pretty floral with top notes of gardenia, honeysuckle, and jonquil. It's sooooooo girly!!! Not my style at all, but I have a friend who will definitely swoon over this!